In Albert Florence’s case, he was pulled over for a traffic stop. When the New Jersey state trooper punched his name in the crime computer, he found an arrest warrant for an unpaid fine. Florence was handcuffed in front of his wife and child, arrested, and then strip searched because of New Jersey’s policy of routine strip searches for all incoming jailbirds. It turns out the arrest warrant was a mistake, but Florence still suffered the humiliation of two strip searches and a week in jail.

The Supreme Court will decide whether blanket strip searches are in violation of the 4th Amendment restriction against unreasonable searches and seizures.

The ABA notes in their brief that “Americans are arrested with surprising frequency for an array of trivial offenses. The class certified by the district court in this case includes individuals who were strip-searched after being detained for infractions such as driving with a noisy muffler, failing to use a turn signal, and riding a bicycle without an audible bell.”

Excellent post Richard ! Bicycle bells are a great tool for riders
to let people know your there. Whether it be other riders, pedestrians or even
cars, a bicycle bell will let them know you’re coming through.